The stage is set for the 2024 NBA Draft. Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET, the eyes of the basketball world will be on the Barclays Center when Adam Silver takes the stage and puts the Atlanta Hawks on the clock.
Unlike R.C. Buford and the San Antonio Spurs in 2023, Landry Fields and the Hawks’ front office have a difficult decision ahead of them. Entering the 2023-24 season, expectations for this draft class were low and after seasons concluded and the pre-draft process now behind us, those expectations have been met — making for one of the worst fields in the past 20 years.
With 30 players set to come off the board and to hear their name called Wednesday night, there is no Victor Wembanyama nor a consensus No. 1 player among them.
This class has proven to have real depth but the top of the draft is perceived to be as weak as we have ever seen, if not the weakest. The Hawks seem primed to take either or France’s Zaccharie Risacher or UConn’s Donovan Clingan. Either player would rank at the very low end of No. 1 overall picks in the past 20 drafts, ranked through the prism of how we regarded them as prospects back then.
1. Victor Wembanyama (2023, Spurs)
Standing 7-foot-3 with an 8-foot wingspan, Victor Wembanyama was touted as the best prospect since LeBron James. His rim protection, defensive versatility and unique skillset were considered to be generational, making for a transcendent talent.
2. Anthony Davis (2012, Pelicans)
Anthony Davis’ ability to block shots, switch on defense, catch lobs, his budding offensive skillset and upside were exactly what the NBA was looking for during a time in which the league was modernizing. Davis was heralded as a premier talent poised to lead the way for a new generation of big men and was clearly the top prospect since LeBron James in 2003.
3. Zion Williamson (2019, Pelicans)
Zion Williamson generated as much hype as any college basketball star since Anthony Davis. His gravity-defying explosiveness at 300 pounds combined with his skill captivated fans and NBA scouts alike, making him the most anticipated No. 1 pick in seven years.
4. Derrick Rose (2008, Bulls)
Rose transformed college basketball during his single season at Memphis, mainstreaming the one-and-done era. He was a new-era point guard whose athleticism, fearlessness and scoring ability torched defenses, created exciting highlight reels, and helped lead the Tigers to the national championship game.
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5. Greg Oden (2007, Trail Blazers)
A nationally known prospect for years before he entered the collegiate ranks, Oden was the consensus No. 1 recruit and No. 1 draft prospect a year later. His dominant freshman year at Ohio State saw him and teammate Mike Conley Jr. guide the Buckeyes to the national championship game, where they lost to Florida. Oden was so highly regarded the Blazers never considered taking Kevin Durant ahead of him.
6. John Wall (2010, Wizards)
John Wall followed in Derrick Rose’s footsteps and took the country by storm at Kentucky on his way to becoming a cultural icon and legendary mix-tape guy. His blazing speed, in-game acrobatics, finishing and playmaking made for some spectacular highlights. Wall had star written all over him.
7. Blake Griffin (2009, Clippers)
Griffin could have been a top-10 pick had he left after one season at Oklahoma, but he returned for a historic, rim-rocking sophomore campaign as the preordained No. 1 pick for much of the season. Griffin eventually added a nice midrange game but the NBA in 2009 did not see his perceived lack of shooting as a major detriment to his ceiling as a power forward. His brute strength and athleticism more than made up for it.
8. Kyrie Irving (2011, Cavaliers)
Had Kyrie Irving stayed healthy during his one season at Duke, there’s a good chance he would have ended up higher on this list. He entered college as the No. 2 overall recruit in the country but changed the narrative in just 11 games at Duke, showcasing himself as one of the most skilled guards the game had ever seen.
9. Ben Simmons (2016, 76ers)
The Ben Simmons hype throughout the college basketball season was immense. He drew comparisons as a 6-foot-9 point forward with skill as a passer and playmaker, not to mention a superb defensive skillset.
10. Cade Cunningham (2021, Pistons)
The 2021 NBA Draft class was highly regarded, but Cade Cunningham stood out as the unanimous No. 1 prospect. His size, playmaking ability, defensive versatility, scoring, and impact on winning made him a prototypical franchise player.
11. Karl-Anthony Towns (2015, Timberwolves)
During the 2014-15 season, Karl-Anthony Towns had to compete with media darlings D’Angelo Russell and Jahlil Okafor for the spotlight. However, as the season and pre-draft process went on, ‘KAT’ shifted the narrative by showcasing his post dominance at Kentucky and further showcasing his perimeter skills during the pre-draft process to become the consensus No. 1.
12. Andrew Wiggins (2014, Cavaliers)
Andrew Wiggins had a tremendous amount of hype when he came out of Huntington Prep in the class of 2013 ranked as the No. 1 overall recruit. He was incredibly gifted at 6-8 with long arms and world-class athleticism but possessed concerns with his jumper and his motor that would eventually plague him throughout his NBA career. Wiggins probably would not have been the top pick in 2014 if his Kansas teammate, Joel Embiid, did not suffer a pre-draft injury.
13. Paolo Banchero (2022, Magic)
The top of the 2022 NBA Draft featured strong contenders Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren, and Paolo Banchero, all with high expectations. When the odds famously shifted from Smith to Banchero for the Magic’s No. 1 pick, there was shock but little concern for the 6-10 skilled scorer and playmaker.
14. Markelle Fultz (2017, 76ers)
The national outlook for the top prospect in 2017 was divided between Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, Jayson Tatum and Josh Jackson. At the time, Fultz’s skillset, shot-making and ascension late into his high school career and during his time at Washington were captivating and exciting but no one could foresee what was to come regarding the breakdown of his jump shot.
15. Andrew Bogut (2005, Bucks)
Bogut wasn’t a bad prospect by any means — the Australia native won the Naismith Player of the Year award at Utah and was as productive as it gets — but he certainly didn’t have the perceived upside or sizzle as the top overall picks in the two years ahead of 2005 (Dwight Howard in 2004 and LeBron James in 2003).
16. Deandre Ayton (2018, Suns)
Ayton had shown some flashes as a prospect and looked like Mr. Universe since high school, where he ranked as the No. 1 prospect. But questions about his intensity and motor dogged him — and still do.
17. Andrea Bargnani (2006, Raptors)
A consensus No. 1 pick by the Raptors in 2006 but not an exciting one as the NBA still was not embracing international players. The Italian was compared to a poor man’s Dirk Nowitzki, mainly because there weren’t many international precedents to be compared to (and by the way, Dirk had not won MVP yet).
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18. Anthony Edwards (2020, Timberwolves)
Regardless of his standing now, or even as a recruit where he was 247Sports’ No. 1 prospect, Edwards was a polarizing draft prospect during his time at Georgia. Lamelo Ball garnered the spotlight and many considered him to be No. 1 at the time and when Edwards had his name called by the Timberwolves, it was met with more criticism than excitement. You can understand some casual pushback as Edwards played at Georgia, a nontraditional basketball program, during the covid-shortened season and that year’s draft was delayed all the way until November. It was a weird year.
19. The 2024 No. 1 pick
We assume at this point it will be either Zaccharie Risacher or Donovan Clingan to hear their name called first on Wednesday night by the Atlanta Hawks, unless they trade the pick, at which point France’s Alex Sarr could go first. Each player vying for the top is projected to become a reliable piece to an NBA franchise rather than a future star, but there’s no consensus top prospect (personally I have Reed Sheppard No. 1).
20. Anthony Bennett (2013, Cavaliers)
A draft night shocker and a bust from the beginning. Bennett was a major head scratcher by the Cavaliers and was a worse prospect than whoever is selected first in the 2024 draft.
